Tube union rejects Olympics pay offer

Rejection: Unite and RMT unions have called for "an Olympic bonus for all staff without strings"

Tube union bosses today used the threat of strike action to force up bonus payments for working during the Olympic Games.

They have already turned down a deal worth up to £500 for each of more than 11,000 staff saying it is "not enough" and has strings attached.

The warning comes just 24-hours after Mayor Boris Johnson pledged to break the power of the Tube unions and start running driverless trains within the next two years.

Leaders of the RMT, which represents station staff, signallers and engineers, today lodged declaration of formal dispute with London Underground (LU) after talks failed to agree on bonus payments.

This is the final stage before a strike ballot and designed to allow a last round of negotiations.

At the same time the union announced a full strike ballot among hundreds of its administratrive members at Transport for London (TfL) in protest over a ban on staff taking holidays for the duration of the Games.

The union has also rejected a bonus of £15 for a change shift during the Games as "appalling."Tube train drivers, in a separate deal, have already won bonus payments of between £800 and £1200 for working longer and different hours during the Games.

Bob Crow, the union leader, said: "The RMT reiterates its stance that all grades of transport employees are entitled to a decent financial reward for their efforts transporting huge numbers of passengers during the Olympics and are entitled to take leave during the summer.

"Working conditions and important agreements should not and need not be attacked in order to facilitate Olympic running."

The £500 deal rejected by the RMT consists of a flat rate £100 plus an extra £20 a shift for working during the four-week Games period and which the union estimates at £400 each.

The Games will generate a million extra journeys a day with most of those on the Tube. LU has already warned that parts of the network - including London Bridge and Stratford, the Olympic Stadium station, won't be able to cope unless regular commuters stay away.

Of the Tube dispute,Howard Collins, LU Chief operating officer, said: "We have been in discussion with the unions for many months about working patterns during the Olympics and have put forward our proposals about how to fairly reward staff.

"We have scheduled further discussions with the unions on the issue today and have also agreed to continue talks at ACAS later on this week should an agreement not be reached at these discussions."

Gillian Alford, TfL's director of corporate industrial relations, said: "Like all organisations, we need to carefully plan how our office-based staff work during the Games.

"Some office-based staff will be asked not to take leave during particularly busy periods when TfL will be working to deliver a successful Games while keeping London moving."

"In putting these sensible and proportionate arrangements in place, full account is being taken of any responsibilities our staff have for looking after children or others."